Four Special Words
by mystickeyboard
Summary: Four words Harry learned never to say at the Dursley's, but always wanted to. Now, married to Ginny he has that chance.


**Dis****claimer: I do not own Harry Potter. The characters and world belong to JK Rowling.  
**

**Author's Notes:**

1) Thanks to my beta-readers Miriam1 and Alyssa4 who not only found dozen's of spelling and grammar mistakes, but helped with a few missing points. I asked them to be brutal, and I was happy with their feed back. If anything remains my fault, not theirs. Thanks Alyssa4 and Miriam1.

2) Would appreciate feed back, so please do.

3) Enjoy

* * *

Harry met the eyes of the woman greeting him in the front hall of the Burrow. He and Ginny had just returned from their honeymoon, and were stopping by to see her parents. _Their_ parents, he corrected himself happily. Happiness though, was just one of several emotions struggling within Harry at the moment.

Mrs. Weasely greeted Ginny with smiles, and kisses and hugs. Exuberant to see Ginny and new son-in-law, Harry. After a month long honeymoon in Paris, they had finally returned home. After a long squeeze, Mrs. Weasely finally let go of her daughter and turned to Harry. He now realized that the moment had come that which was causing the turmoil of emotions inside.

Time stood still for Harry in that moment as he looked at his mother-in-law. His eyes caught on her red hair and . Hhe wondered if it was the same shade of red his mother's hair had been. Harry had worried about that on several occasions. It wasn't like she would be replacing his mother.

He remembered talking to Ginny about this moment. How he had missed out on being able to do this, his entire life. Many days with the Dursleys he had fantasized, dreamed, and anticipated this very opportunity. The pain of not having this seemed greater now that the void he felt was about to be filled.

He thought about all the times he had gone through a rough day at school. When he ended up on the roof. When he was laughed at for wearing hand me down clothes that were 6 sizes too big. The times when he was left out because Dudley convinced others to exclude him, all those times he had wanted the opportunity that was before him now.

It was not just the bad times he thought about. It was also the good. He had wanted someone to be able to come home to and share the good as well. Someone, a mother, to be happy for him. He had learned not to share the good with Aunt Petunia. Whether the day had been good or bad, Harry had wanted a mother just to be happy to see him.

He confessed all of this to Ginny one night several months ago. They had stayed up late talking about their wedding and what their life would be like once they were Mr. and Mrs. Potter. When Ginny was talking about how their parents celebrated their anniversaries, and how she was looking forward to them celebrating their own, he grew very quiet at the phrase 'their parents'. That was the first time he had realized that he would have parents; a mom, that he would be able to talk to.

Ginny did not let him sulk. He was forced into to confessing all. He started telling her slowly, not knowing how to express what he was feeling. Then after a few minutes, his mouth could not keep up with his thoughts. Soon he was starting to become overwhelmed with the very idea.

Ginny stopped him. She held him close, and whispered to him "I love you, and I know you love me. We will do this together when the time comes."

Harry had many reasons to look forward to this moment. He and Ginny had been together for two years, engaged for eight months, and had just spent four magical weeks in Paris, and now it was here.

Ginny was his wife. More importantly, he was now her husband. As such there would be times he would need to be strong for Ginny, but now he needed her.

He reached out for her hand; if he was going to do this he would need her help. Her strength. He needed his wife.

The part of Harry that had adapted to his treatment at the Dursley's was now trying to stare him down. Taunting him, and reminding him of all the pain it had protected Harry from. 'Leave this in the past,' it was saying. 'Don't open up, the pain that will surely come. It did every time before, and this time it will be too much.'

Grasping Ginny's hand in his and, placing one arm around her, he looked into her eyes and tried to smile. She beamed back at him, and gave him a nod of encouragement.

His breathing turned shallow, lumps formed in his throat. "I can do this, I can do this" he repeated a dozen times in his head. He started to shake. Then Ginny squeezed him, keeping him steady.

All of a sudden, Harry remembered the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The day of the third (and final) task, Mrs. Weasley had come to be there for him then. She came to be his family. Then afterwards when the night was over, after Cedric, after Wormtail, after Voldermort, and after Barty Crouch Jr, Mrs. Weasley had been there still.

When the events of that day caught up to him in the hospital wing, she hugged him. That had been the first hug he could remember that came from a mother. He treasured that hug. He knew he would treasure this moment, too, if he could just get through it.

Harry choked on a lump in his throat when thinking of that moment. Tears played in the corners of his eyes, thinking of the years with the Dursleys and all he had missed there. Now he could claim them all back. Only four words sepeerated him from it.

He looked at Ginny again, her face struggling to smile, as tears for him started to play in her eyes as well. She truly understood him and wanted this as much as he did. That realization gave Harry strength.

He turned from Ginny to look at the red haired woman across from them. This was it. She stood there beaming at him.

It was time. After twenty years he finally had a chance to do what almost any other child could have done since learning to speak, and went to school. What is said thousands of times, so often that most people did not even think about it, or hardly give it any value.

Trying to keep his voice steady, he faced Ginny's mother, their mother now. He opened his mouth and spoke the words he always longed to say.

"Hi Mom, we're home."


End file.
